“Many years ago I saw a black & white Spencer Tracey Film Called “Captains courageous”. Spencer’s character played a bizarre mechanical fiddle called a Hurdy Gurdy. From that point this instrument fascinated me. Finding one to play was not very easy, so it was sometime before I was courageous enough to make one. I had never seen a hurdy gurdy in the flesh before. This made troubleshooting a long and sometimes painful process. My intension was to make a quick and dirty hurdy gurdy by converting an old guitar. In the end I put more work and detail into it and ended up with a very playable instrument that I named George. From then on I was hooked. ..“ (Graeme McCormack) Hurdy-gurdy plans are also offered on the site.

"I have been fascinated by the shape and sound of the violin since early childhood and even during my days at Art College in England where I studied Painting, Sculpture and Textile Design, I played the violin and had a desire to make them. I have also played the saxophone and flute since that time.
Much later, after retraining in Graphic Design and years in Advertising and teaching Graphic Design at Monash University in Victoria (Chisholm Campus), a spell in a popular Rock band of the day, some work in music retailing and general gigging around Melbourne playing Violin and Saxophone and Flute, I eventually started to study, repair and make violins. That was in 1975 and has continued to this day.
In 1991 I came to Western Australia and concentrated more on making than repairing. " See website for more information. (ed.)

"Ian Watchorn began his professional career as a maker & repairer of instruments in Sydney, Australia in 1976, moving to Canberra in 1979.

1982 received grants from Australia Council and NSW Premiers Department to study musical instrument conservation at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany under Friedemann Hellwig and John Henry van der Meer.

1984 accepted the post of conservator at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, and was later acting senior conservator there before returning to Australia in 1987.

1987 - 1990 worked on the conservation and collection development for the musical instrument collection at the Power House Museum, Sydney, and later as curator of the same collection.

"Italian born Marco Ternovec is a historical informed maker who has specialized in rebuilding Renaissance and Baroque viola da gamba since 1983. In 1994 he moved his atelier to Belgium where he lives. Besides viols, he has extended his research on the reproduction of the lyra family of instruments (lira da braccio, da gamba and lirone) as well as Medieval vielle and Baroque cello. His instruments are based on surviving historical examples. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"Canadian Bowmaker Michael Vann was trained in New York City in the shop of the world renowned master Bowmaker William Salchow. Since embarking on his career in 1975 he has won six international and more than a dozen Canadian awards for his bows which have been acquired by such notables as Pierre Fournier, Ruggiero Ricci, Steven Dann, Steven Staryk, Eugene Fodor, Sidney Harth, Gwen Hoebig, Gabriel Magyar, (Hungarian String Quartet), The New Brunswick String Quartet (Canada), The Franciscan String Quartet (U.S.A.) The Colorado Strings Quartet, (U.S.A.), The Manfred String Quartet. (France), The St. Lawrence String Quartet, The Miro String Quartet, just to name a few.

They are in use by members of symphony orchestras in Amsterdam, Chicago, Montreal, New York, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Tokyo, Paris, Toulouse, Nice, Copenhagen, Salzburg, Dusseldorf and many others.

He has also made bows for the Royal House of Denmark.

He also makes Conductor Batons for such maestros as Mario Bernardi. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"As a harp maker I recreate early harps as facsimile or copy after well chosen originals. Extended researches are followed by careful handcrafts. More than 30 years of experience in musical instrument making guarantee each harp as a masterpiece. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"It is by making classical guitars and flamencas that he began to work out stringed instruments. Student of Luc Breton, he was quickly interested in old instruments that ensure quite easily the application of traditional stringed intruments manufacture.

After having built oriental lutes, he devoted several years to baroque instruments, by manufacturing viola da gamba, tenors, upper of viols, overcoat of viols, baroque violins, baroque cellos and piccolo cellos.

He also practises restoration of old intruments. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“ … I am particularly interested in the guitar of the early 19th century. The instruments described as "Romantic guitars" or "Biedermeier Gitarren" are of smaller shape. They comply with the acoustic aesthetics and musical demands of this period. …

Apart from conventional standard and reconditioning repairs I also carry out extensive restoration in my workshop. In most cases the aim of restauration is a playable instrument for musicians. Depending on condition and rarity of the instrument a pure conservative work may be more important. This decision must be made with the owner before restoration. I see conservative work as making each step of the restoration reversible. …”

On these pages you can find information about many of the bows I make, both replicas of existing originals and bows designed after iconographic documents as well as my own inventions. They are as umcompromisingly like the originals—or contemporary pictures—as possible, because I am convinced that each period in musical history knew exactly the kind of instruments they wanted and how to make them. They are entirely hand-crafted using the same techniques and tools as makers of the period did, because every tool and every use of it leaves its mark on the finished product. Since it seems more likely to be good at what one likes, I have confined myself to pre-1800 bows.What you will not find are bows produced in series, anachronistic details, and materials such as finishing paper, modern bows disguised as early ones, and ivory. You can also find some information about how I came to do what I do, and why I am doing it the way I do. ..“

"Early Harps were also visually aesthetic instruments in the culture in which they were originated, based on historical- physical- technical princip of period. Musical and visual beauty, maden by musicians and the harpmakers united to create a fascinateing atmasphere. Eric Kleinmann sees it as his task to pass on this rich heritage. The instruments are handmade. The basis of his work is the personly instrumentexploration in museums and colections around the world. The coloring and varnishing is maden with natural materials from old prescriptions.

The speciality is also the harps maden from iconographic studies in early paintings, manuscrips and sculpturs. Eric makes also individual instruments to customers requirement. Customers are international Musicians and Ensembles from Swizerland, France, USA, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Japan and Great Britain. Museum and collections ask for help and advice in Historical Harps. Lectures about Historical-Harp-Subjects are held in Conservatories, Universities and Technical-schools as well as at international Harp- and Musicinstrument-Congress. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"The lute, an instrument with a long history, is the central instrument of instrument-maker Matthias Wagner. His interests lie with instruments such as guitars, mandolins, Mandolen, harps, tremor, but also all historical Zupfinstrumente as the Lutes, Theorben, Baroque guitars, Vihuelen, Cistern and the relative small mandolins, Stradivari also Mandolino. Matthias Wagner has focused on the construction and restoration of lutes, and guitars Theorben specialized. " (Google and ed. translation) Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"The Thurau-Harfenmanufaktur makes a range of instruments of the harp family, including reconstructions of early harps from the 11th to the 19th century and modern concert harp. We also undertake restorations on early pedal harps, for both public and private collections. This depth of knowledge and experience is naturally reflected in the range and quality of the instruments described here in.
Since more than thirty years costumers of the USA, Australia, Japan, South-America, Canada, Russia, and all Europe as well as famous early harpists like Cheryl Ann Fulton, Mara Galassi, Arianna Savall, Christina Pluhar, Hannelore De Vaere, Marie Nishiyama, Ben Bagby, Bill Taylor and many others appreciate and purchase our historical harps. Many museums in England, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Germany collect early harps of our manufacture due to the authenticity and high quality of our work of art and craft.
" Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Growing up surrounded by music and crafts, I was fascinated by working with wood and playing the viol from an early age.

In 1986 I went to England to study at the London College of Furniture, on the ‘early fretted instruments’ course. Since leaving college in 1990, I have run my own instrument building workshop, in both England and Germany. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to work in London with the viol maker Dietrich Kessler, where I handled, studied and played a variety of lovely old gambas.

Among my commissions has been a set of four renaissance viols for the English viol consort Fretwork, a set of viols for the Suomen Kulttuurirahasto in Helsinki, and a lira da gamba for Erin Headley. My instruments are closely based on those I have measured in museums and private collections in Europe.

I find that playing the viol myself helps considerably when setting up my instruments - particularly neck shape, action, bridge curve and height.

Susanne Küster

In 1989 I began my apprenticeship as a woodcarver in Flensburg at the Werkkunstschule. Besides carving in wood and working in clay, plaster, concrete and stone I gained a lot of experience in design and drawing. After leaving the school I went to Bremen, where I started carving heads for the viols of Henner Harders.

This is where the instrument-making bug infected me, so I went to the Newark School of Violin Making to learn the making and repairing of violins. When leaving this three-year course, I decided to go to London for two years and work with Adam Whone to get experience in the repairing and restoration of old violins. Now I make my own violins and carve heads for a variety of instruments.

"... Furthermore, the focus of our activities is the construction of a historic string instruments. Here we also produce copies of old masters instruments based for example iconography in templates. ... " (Google translation) Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“La mi Cinta Dorada appears as solution to the principal problem of early string instruments performers: to hold the instruments correctly. Our STRAPS are disigned in order to luthiers’ and performers’ needs, and have been tested by them before we sell them.
We work with first quality materials proceeding a rigorous process of confection of each product. Each STRAP is handmade and revised meticulously to guarantee a perfect finished and resistence.

"G. Sambot (born in Paris in 1954 ) is a luthier and specialized in cello making. He was a pupil of László Lendjel and has completed a whole range of modern cellos as well as baroque ones including:
4/4, 7/8 and a 5 stringed piccolo, after Stradivarius. G. Sambot also makes baroque and romantic guitars as well as some plucked stringed instruments. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"Handicraft has been my primary interest since childhood, continuing into my professional life. Beginning in 1984 in Bourges, my brother Pierre-Gilles Jarny (artistic director of the Aymerillot ensemble) and I took an interest in 15th and 16 century music. We performed together on occasion and I continued to work as a manager of a joinery and cabinetry workshop.

My 1991 meeting with Carolos Gonzales, a luthier specializing in lutes, was pivotal for my career. Beginning my training as an apprentice and then as a journeyman, I studied this trade in the tradition of Joël Dugot. Instructor to us all, Joël Dugot is the conservator of plucked string instruments at the Music Museum in Paris. Carlos Gonzales and i organized several luthier workshops, and from 1999 to 2003 I taught practical luthier workshops in Paris. During the same period, I made the acquaintance of one of the best lute musicians in France, Pascale Boquet. She helped me to refine and better understand the art of lute music, and since then we have continued this adventure together.

I opened my first workshop in 2000 in Meung-sur-Loir (Loiret) and then moved to Tours in 2003. For two years, I have had an apprentice in my studio, Nicolas Petit, who has studied the art of making these instruments and will open his own workshop in Tours. At present I continue to build the instruments in which I have specialized, 16th and 17th century plucked string instruments: lutes, Renaissance and Baroque guitars, theorbos, archilutes, vihuelas ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)